tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post4162356143716042937..comments2017-09-26T18:23:25.707+00:00Comments on The Wertzone: Ten Years Ago...Adam Whiteheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383677312079611311noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-24573392124964900732008-10-13T12:14:00.000+00:002008-10-13T12:14:00.000+00:00I believe the mighty David Warner did the voice of...I believe the mighty David Warner did the voice of Irenicus, and yes, he did a great job.Adam Whiteheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383677312079611311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-35346544418269258532008-10-13T09:21:00.000+00:002008-10-13T09:21:00.000+00:00Krondor: The Betrayal is indeed a terrible novel. ...Krondor: The Betrayal is indeed a terrible novel. In fact, probably the worst fantasy novel I've ever read. About the most positive thing you can say about it is that at least it is pretty short. But otherwise it is deficient in every department - dull characters, a pedestrian plot that plods blandly along and - most worringly - a total lack of sparkle or flair. It was as if Feist just wrote it for the paycheque. Although he was going through a divorce at the time, so perhaps that is why. Then again, he followed it up with Krondor: Assassins and Krondor: Tear of the Gods which, although better, were still pretty poor.<BR/><BR/>Baldur's Gate is/was brilliant. The first was a rough diamond, the second was a polished masterpiece. It was great to see developers actually take on board what the fans didn't like about the first one and keep what they did like. And Baldur's Gate 2 had one of the coolest baddies ever - Irenicus. Can't remember the chap that did the voice-over for Irenicus, but he did a damned good job - "I CANNOT BE CAGED, I CANNOT BE CONTROLLED!"<BR/>Awesome, indeed.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07763695390241432518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-15174546001893512142008-10-11T20:19:00.000+00:002008-10-11T20:19:00.000+00:00That seems like a great project, but Williams isn'...That seems like a great project, but Williams isn't producing the thing himself. I haven't read the Shadowmarch Trilogy myself (waiting for the last book), but it does appear to have had a very lukewarm reception compared to his earlier books.Adam Whiteheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383677312079611311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-2566270411765373992008-10-11T16:29:00.000+00:002008-10-11T16:29:00.000+00:00I quote:Tad Williams seems to have lost the flair ...I quote:<BR/><BR/>Tad Williams seems to have lost the flair of his early career<BR/><BR/>I wouldn't bet on that. have you guys seen all the stuff on the web about the Otherland MMO? It's a huge venture, and it launches 2010.<BR/><BR/>And BTW, the best of the 4 Otherland books is #3, Mountain of Black Glass. It's got the killer Troy recreation in it. Although, the kitchen world, house world, and toon world, in River of Blue Fire (#2), if memory serves aright, are indeed very find.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-90547934914421005202008-10-11T15:17:00.000+00:002008-10-11T15:17:00.000+00:00Wasn't PSS (2000) more important in kick-starting ...Wasn't PSS (2000) more important in kick-starting the New Weird movement? I know Year of Our War came out in 2004 which is one of the first books to be definitively influenced by Mieville, and then you have Harrison as a precursor.<BR/><BR/>What 2002-03 books do you think are key New Weird books?Adam Whiteheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11383677312079611311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-3391834105636953892008-10-11T15:05:00.000+00:002008-10-11T15:05:00.000+00:00Those books weren't released five years ago; I onl...Those books weren't released five years ago; I only read them for the first time in 2003. Interesting to see what was released 10 years and how those books have "aged" in the interim, however.<BR/><BR/>But if you wanted to do a "historical" event, consider what 2002-2003 brought in terms of a certain "movement" developing - the New Weird one.Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16001420558511460998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7703856341303488608.post-66941211648259832612008-10-11T08:49:00.000+00:002008-10-11T08:49:00.000+00:00One of the things that strikes me at once is how m...One of the things that strikes me at once is how much more material is being published now, especially in Fantasy, less so in SG of course. Also, it's not just more, but there is so much more interesting Fantasy being published that it is pretty much impossible to keep up, even for prodigious readers. <BR/><BR/>In looking at how some of those authors you mentioned are doing now, well, Jordan has died, Martin's future is uncertain and his ASOIAF output has been depressingly minimal the last decade, Guy Kay is still writing at a rate of about one book every 3years, Silverberg has pretty much stopped writing, understandable given his age, Feist is still doing what he's always done, as is Brooks, Tad Williams seems to have lost the flair of his early career, David Brin hasn't put a book out in many years, Greg Bear just published the poorly received City at the end of time, David Zindell has, as you say, made a poor show show of doing epic fantasy but Peter Hamilton is still publishing regularly( and to me is now doing his most interesting work).Calibandarnoreply@blogger.com